It’s one thing to go through the motions of your work day, but it’s another to actually get work done. There’s a strategy behind increasing productivity, and you must constantly reevaluate that strategy. Here are six ways to improve productivity on the job and the things you need to stop doing in order to be more productive.

Shut Down the Email

And while you’re at it, put your smartphone away, too. The average worker wastes about 40 percent of his workday reading internal business emails. And one in four workers wastes an hour each day on their personal electronics completing non-necessary and menial tasks. The dangerous combination of being on the phone, checking notifications and sorting through email can add up to a lot of wasted time at the end of each work day. The best way to handle this is setting aside scheduled time each day to check messages, emails, and texts and then respond. Once you’re done, close out the tabs and put the phone away until your next scheduled time slot.

Break Time

This may sound like the opposite of being productive, but in order to get things done, you need to be well-rested. A break can mean a quick walk away from your desk, or making sure you take a lunch break every day. Everyone needs to recharge, and you need to tap into that rechargeable energy to increase productivity while on the clock.

Physical Activity – Off the Clock

You can boost your energy throughout the entire day by engaging in moderate exercise. This also leads to better sleep at night, which helps increase productivity throughout the workday. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which can boost your mood. Find time each day to squeeze in some physical activity.

Control Interruptions

Having a co-worker pop his head into your office just to say hello may not seem like a big deal, but brief interruptions do add up — and fast. Those interruptions can also shift your work pattern causing a drop in productivity. Minimizing your interruptions could be done by keeping your door closed, setting office hours, or working from home, when possible. Hold your calls if you start to get behind on a time-sensitive project.

Evaluate Your Tasks

It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of what’s comfortable throughout your workday. This isn’t always best for productivity, however. Evaluate your tasks and look at the ones that really make a difference. Anything not helpful to your overall goal for the day should be adjusted or dropped, and that will help improve the overall effectiveness of your work.

Bring on the Experts

Small business owners are famous for having the “I’ll do it all” attitude. It’s a great attitude to have, but, in reality, tackling every task on your own is counter-productive. Business owners need to focus on the bigger picture and find ways to delegate, even outsource, certain tasks, especially ones they don’t have much expertise in.

If you’re looking for ways to zero in on your target consumer base, retain a data firm to help guide you in the right direction. If you want to increase your sales on your website, retain an SEO company to help make that a reality. If you’re looking for assistance with online customer support solutions, contact us. It’s more productive to ask for expert help than do everything on your own.

It takes constant adjustments and innovative ways at looking at your job in order to increase and maintain your productivity level. Focus on what’s really important, including your own well-being, and you will see a rise in productivity levels.